#but also shown as an innocent baby dragon

[corvus-ambrosius]

imagine being a terrifying dragon but then your mother/father dragon shows the town folks pictures of you as a baby dragon and now they aren't scared anymore

#dragon #baby dragons #baby pics #but dragon #imagine it #scary dragon who burn towns #but also shown as an innocent baby dragon #smol dragon

[sangre]

A VERY DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF YOUR MUSE.  REPOST, DO NOT REBLOG, with the information of your muse,  including headcanons, etc.

name: catarina raverre. nicknames: rini from wyll + which the tiefling children from the grove picked up on and call her as well, rina from shadowheart and gale, cat (funny/condescending) from astarion, karlach will enthusiastically call him Raverre!! if not soldier, and lae’zel is trying not to pick up a nickname but settles on an over emphatic ca-TA around act 3. Full-naming is very weird and intimate for her, so of course, she hears it most from the dream visitor in the shell of her ear. tav is the quick and easy introduction he gives to other NPC’s (it's what her brothers called her growing up) and will hear it from just about everyone as well. age: twenty-nine. race: asmodeus tiefling, infernal bloodline on her father’s side, draconic lineage on his mother’s. gender: fluid, he/him & she/her. often dancing the lines to have fun in presentation and feeling with both at once. orientation: bisexual. zodiac: aries. a very strong case for an aries I think. moral alignment: chaotic neutral, though he’s protective of innocence and will go out of his way on select occasions to pay back in the name of karma :wink: (Karma is also the name of the dragon that her lineage comes from). class/subclass: sorcerer - draconic bloodline. (poison dragon) background: guild artisan. interests/hobbies: woodwork and architecture hold his attention in a quiet appreciation kind of way, as in he could watch someone whittle for a long time and enjoy the silence (haha) about it – and traveling to see different kinds of buildings and interior decoration and stuff like that is very compelling, as someone who was raised with a reverence for like... ruins and the history shown in the way places are built. she loves magic. being able to storytell and stuff through that medium is very precious and memorable to him. quite nerdy behind closed doors. demanded to be read to a lot as a baby before falling asleep. LIKES NAPPING! Is sleepypilled. some other misc things he likes are intricate weaponry and gambling (he's freakishly good at catching a cheater/reading people's faces). spoken languages: fluent in common, draconic, infernal, and primordial (in addition to being able to communicate in sign in common) profession: adventurer, mostly. back at home, she follows the raverre family line in serving as a warden for a vestige that comes from the hoard that the dragon from her lineage kept and protected. she has four older brothers and one much younger brother, hence a very no-nonsense approach to bullshit. height: 5’11” colors: deep pale brown, purplish red, toxic slutch green, and fiendlike nauseous pink. fruits: grapefruit, guava, strawberries, pineapple and passionfruit. drinks: iced coffees, iced fruit juices, anything that tastes like radioactive mcdonalds sprite and buzzes and freaks out his tongue. alcoholic beverages: dark honey mead, ginger beer with lime. smokes: no but she DOES BREATHE smoke if she coughs and her temperature is too high. drugs: recreational use if he’s with friends and he gets something fun from an alchemist or druid he trusts. drivers license: can this bitch steer a horse? (Catarina voice) Sure how hard could it be. (NO) (BE CAREFUL) (GET OUT OF THE WAY) (horses get nervous around her. Most animals are okay with her/love her in fact but for some reason I think, to a horse, she has rancid vibes. I think it’s because she stares them in the eyes). ever been arrested: YUP but it did not last long!

TAGGED BY: no one i stole this from one of my old RP blogs ^p^ i wanted to party TAGGING: tagging my bagu gagu fwiends but also fwiends for other ocs! @the-lovely-lady-luck @interstices @reides @fluffy-snow-fox @kirkewrites @roberthouses @jessieleaf @killdragons @cass1x1 @bvckywrites @devilatelier

#just bringing a little indie tumblr magic back to our dashes in 2023 in a manner that brings joy. #i played w the questionnaire a bit to suit my needs so ofc do that too if it suits u :3 #EXCITED TO SEE OTHER BABIES IF ANYONE DOES IT :D #catarina

[darkmagicmirror]

Today's a good day to remind the fandom about this passage in The Dragon Prince novelization of Book 2: Sky:

All the animals had cleared out of the grove except for one young fawn. Claudia sat cross-legged on the ground, and the fawn approached her curiously. She offered it a milk-fruit.

As it enjoyed the fruit, Claudia stroked the baby deer's head gently. It was sweet and innocent. A beautiful tawny fawn with lovely white spots. It lifted its chin so Claudia could scratch underneath. A single tear trickled down Claudia's face.

"I'm sorry, little one. But you are agile, young, and alive," she said. Claudia touched the deer on its soft nose. "And I need you."

The deer gazed up at her with its milky-brown eyes. Her heart began to melt, but she closed her eyes and thought of Soren. She loved her brother so much.

...

But Claudia had never killed an animal this size before, and she wasn't strong enough to make a clean kill.

Anyway the points being:

Claudia doesn't, and has never, killed things for fun. She doesn't even want to, but she does it because it's the only way to heal her brother.

She has never killed anything bigger than a fawn, or even the same size, before.

And the first point I make because I still will never understand the "Claudia can't be trusted around cute animals" attitude some people in this fandom have because they think she just randomly kills things? Give me a break lol.

Second point is just that if Claudia is barely strong enough to kill a baby deer, I'm 99.9% sure she didn't kill a unicorn. (The unicorn would also have to be smaller than a fawn, to say she might have killed it.) They haven't shown how Claudia got the horn, but I'm sticking with my theory that the unicorn gave it voluntarily until canon proves otherwise. (I don't see how she'd be strong enough to steal a horn, either.) (Yes, I think the unicorn probably knew what the horn would be used for and also thought it was a necessary catalyst for change /shrug.)

Also Puzzle House spoilers under the cut:

There's most likely some sort of symbolism/foreshadowing with Claudia taking the unicorn figure's horn to uncover the button, and then putting it back and apologizing.

And ALSO...

Unless Claudia has a really fucking good memory, or drew a copy of the map, how did she remember where the unicorn was? It was implied that she found the unicorn not long before Viren and co. went to kill Avizandum.

It's either one of those two things, or a third option, which is that she could still read the scroll at that time, too. After getting deeper into dark magic. (As it is, the Earth giant saw Claudia do dark magic right in front of him, and it didn't take away from him believing that she had a pure heart.)

But yeah, just saying, thanks for coming to my TED talk 🖤 /lh

#claudia #tdp #the dragon prince #puzzle house #stop claiming claudia is somehow pure evil 2k23 #my posts

[mwezina]

The Sun & FE3H

The Sun is an uplifting card, representing joy and vitality. The naked child sitting upon a white horse shows the boundlessness of joy and innocence, and the red banner he holds shows a passion for life. This is a positive card that shows things are moving in the right direction under the watchful gaze of the sun. Behind the child is a stone wall, a boundary that keeps him safe, while he rides upon a horse, symbolising the freedom he has. 

The crest associated with this card is Chevalier. It’s possibly about Jean Chevalier, a French writer and philosopher whose greatest work is on the symbolisms found in folklore of his time. He co-wrote an encyclopaedia on this with a fellow poet and explorer. However, “chevalier” also means a chivalrous knight or someone who belongs to an order of knighthood. Regardless, the name is French in origin. 

The dragon associated with this is the Snow Dragon. Snow can be a symbol of purity and innocence, or the untaintedness of motives behind heroic deeds. Due to its link to innocence, it is often shown in juxtaposition to violent or fleeting symbols such as blood and cherry blossoms. 

I imagine the Snow Dragon to be pure white, but a soft, gentle white, not a blinding one. It flies through the skies as quietly as an owl, and appears somewhat fluffy. This places it in direct juxtaposition with the Ice Dragon, which may glint in the sun and is made of harsh angles. Perhaps these two dragons would have been friends, long, long ago. 

The character I connect to these ideas is Balthus Albrecht. He is a man full of vitality and optimism, mostly unfounded. As a person, he is also rather uplifting, as he easily comforts Lysithea’s insecurities and Claude’s worries. He can be considered chivalrous only in that he belongs in an order of “knights” so to speak, as he protects his mafia boss, Yuri. 

Most interesting of all is his dragon name, calling for a juxtaposition to Constance���s dragon, the Bloom Dragon. These two are frequently used to juxtapose the senselessness or the wastefulness of violence and the innocence that is now stained. However, I’m not well-versed enough in their supports or respective view-points to see how that plays out in canon. 

I find Balthus being connected to The Sun as somewhat boring and direct. Although, I suppose he does represent the boundless optimism and the brash innocence of a giant baby very well.

Previous: The Moon

Next: Judgement

#fe3h #fe16 #tarot cards #major arcana #the sun #crests #crest of chevalier #snow dragon #french philosophers #balthus von albrecht

[shadowphoenixrider]

Aright I finally started playing Dragonflight after a very generous and soft ber gifted it to me, so I should probably do the ‘hey so where are my characters at the start of Dragonflight?’ not like i said i would do this last year than completely forgot to whoops

Draggka - Has been essentially on maternity leave since Saurfang’s funeral in Karazhan with Khadgar. She gave birth before the veil to the Shadowlands is torn asunder, and spent the entirity of that debacle on Azeroth, raising her new baby. She was present at Thalyssra and Lor’themar’s wedding with Khadgar, youngster in tow.

Now Zal’ria is about 3 years old and is about to start...school, I guess, she’s ready to join her husband going to the Dragon Isles. Though, they have made Karazhan hearthstones to go back to see their daughter and make sure Medivh isn’t babysitting by teaching the youngster how to cast Pyroclast.

Zal’ria - This little tyke has been born and is still a wee bab! She’s been absorbing knowledge like a little sponge and is babbling in Zandali, Orcish and Common when she isn’t trying to get into everything and anything. Khadgar and Medivh have helped Zal learn to contain and practice her magic, so she is a little ahead of some of her peers, but she still has much to learn.

Although it’s planned for Zal to start her education in Dalaran, that’s not to say she might not be shown the more..peaceful area of the Dragon Isles...

Dranka - Took over from his sister when she retreated to Karazhan, and helped fight against N’Zoth. Was there at the birth of Zal’ria, and dotes on his little niece. Went to the Shadowlands with the others, working with the Night Fae in Ardenweald.

Has spent his time catching up with his sister and teaching his little niece about the Loa, when he isn’t helping the Cenarion Circle.

Harnaka - Fought alongside Dranka against N’Zoth and joined him in the Shadowlands. Helped deliver Zal’ria and has occasionally spoken to the little one on the elements.

Began dating Cayeli, which the two are taking slow. Has appreciated the time to be able to explore their feelings towards one another.

Cayeli - Fought against N’Zoth and travelled into the Shadowlands, joining the Venthyr. She learnt many things there, one of which being the fate of Kael’thas, which caused her to reassess many things in her life.

As such, she has began dating Harnaka, and took the time of peace to eplore their feelings. She was also at Zal’ria’s birth, using her healing skills to help Draggka through labour.

Aiyaona - Fought against N’Zoth and also went to the Shadowlands, aiding the Kyrian and wrestling with her heritage once more. She still hasn’t fully reconciled it, but after helping assist in Zal’ria’s birth, Aiya is starting to become more confident in herself.

She has been aiding the rebuilding efforts in the peace and has began seeing a Highmountain tauren warrior by the name of Jeipuh Proudleaf. It’s only been tentative so far, but her freinds are excited to see her grow.

Elizabone - Fought against N’Zoth, bitterly disowning Sylvanas and also following her friends through the rift to the Shadowlands. She was at Zal’ria’s birth, though spent her time guarding the perimeter of Karazhan, just in case. She has mixed feelings about the youngster, wondering if a rotting old crone such as she should be in a youngster’s life, yet something about Zal’s innocence moves her.

In the peacetime, she has been helping the Forsaken find their feet without Sylvanas, and considering where she stands now, amongst it all.

Tinkerspring - Also tussled with N’Zoth and went to the Shadowlands, coming out with the epiphany that ‘the afterlife sucks, dying is overrated’. She was the main midwife at Zal’ria’s birth, and has kept an eye on the tyke ever since, generously waiving ‘the medical fees’.

She and her brother Fizzlespring have been making as much business as they can during peacetime, whilst Tink has been sending letters to a certain goblin she may or may not have a crush on...

---

I do have Alliance alts and other spare Horde chars, but they’re unfortunately so underdeverloped there’d be a whole lot of loud shrugging from my end! As it is some of the above characters don’t even have Covenants they would have belonged to, SO.

#SPR rambles about her wow characters #wow #world of warcraft #headcanon #draggka #dranka #zal'ria #harnaka #cayeli #aiyaona #elizabone #tinkerspring #wow dragonflight #yes finally i did some more wow stuff

[blackstarising]

coming back to this post i made again to elaborate - especially as the ted lasso fandom is discussing sam/rebecca and fandom racism in general. there are takes that are important to make that i had failed to previously, but there's also a growing amount of takes that i have to, As A Black Person™, respectfully disagree with.

tl;dr for the essay below sam being infantilized and the sam/rebecca relationship are not the same issue and discussing the former one doesn't mean excusing the latter. and we've reached the glen of the Dark Forest where we sit down and talk about fandom racism.

i should have elaborated this in my last post about sam/rebecca, but i didn't. i'll say it now - i personally don't support sam and rebecca getting together for real. i believe what people are saying is entirely correct, even though sam is an adult legally, he and rebecca are, at the very least, two wildly different stages of life. for americans, he's at the equivalent of being a junior in college. there are things he hasn't gotten the chance to experience and there are areas he needs to grow in. when i was younger, i didn't understand the significance of these age gaps, i just thought it would be fine if it was legal, but as someone who is now a little older than sam in universe, i understand fully. we can't downplay this. whether or not you think sam works for rebecca or not, even despite the gender inversion of the Older Man Younger Woman trope, whether or not he is a legal adult, i don't think at this point in time, their relationship would work. i think it's an interesting narrative device, but i don't want to see it play out in reality.

that being said!

what's worrying me is that two discussions are being conflated here that shouldn't be. sam having agency and being a little more grown™ than he's perceived to be does not suddenly make his relationship with rebecca justified. i had decided to bring it up because sam was being brought into the spotlight again and i was starting to realizing that his infantilization was more common than i felt comfortable with.

sam's infantilization (and i will continue to call it that), is a microaggression. it's is in the range of microaggressions that i would categorize as 'fandom overcompensation'. we have a prominent character of color that exhibits traits that aren't stereotypical, and we don't want to appear racist or stereotypical, so we lean hard in the other direction. they're not aggressive, they're a Sweet Baby, they're not world weary, they're now a little naive. they're not cold and distant, they're so nice and sweet that there's no one that wouldn't want approach them, and yeah, on their face, these new traits are a departure and, on their face, they seem they look really good.

but at a certain point, it reaches an inflection point, and, like the aftertaste of a diet coke, that alleged sweetness veers into something a lot less sweet. it veers into a lack of agency for the character. it veers into an innocence that appears to indicate that the person can't even take care of themselves. it veers into a one-dimensional characterization that doesn't allow for any depth or negative emotion.

it's not kind anymore. it's not a nice departure from negative stereotypes. it's not compensating for anything.

it's patronizing.

it is important that we emphasize that characters of color are more than the toxic stereotypes we lay on them, yes, but we make a mistake in thinking that the solution is overcorrection. for one thing, people of color can usually tell. don't get it twisted, it's actually pretty obvious. for another, it just shifts from one dimension to another. people of color are still supposed to be Only One Character Trait while white people can contain multitudes. ted, who is pretty much as pollyanna as they come, can be at once innocent and naive and deep and troubled and funny and scared. jamie can be a prick and sexy and also lonely and also a victim of abuse. sam, however, even though he was bullied (by jamie, no less), is thousands of miles away from home, and has led a protest on his team, is usually just characterized as human sunshine with much less acknowledgement of any other traits beyond that.

and that's why i cringe when fandom calls sam a Sweet Baby Boy without any sense of irony. is that all we're taking away? after all this time? even for a comedy, sam has received a substantive of screen time over two whole seasons, and we've seen a range of emotions from him. so as a black person it's hurtful that it's boiled down to Sweet Baby Boy.

that's the problem. we need to subvert stereotypes, but more importantly, we need to understand that people of color are not props, or pieces of cardboard for their white counterparts. they are full and actualized and have agency in their own right and they can have other emotions than Angry and Mean or Sweet and Bubbly without any nuance between the two. i think the show actually does a relatively good job of giving sam depth (relatively, always room for improvement, mind you), especially holding it in tension with his youth, but the fandom, i worry, does not.

it's the same reason why finn from star wars started out as the next male protagonist in the sequel trilogy but by the third movie was just running around yelling for REY!! it's the same reason why when people make Phase 4 Is the Phase For Therapy gifsets for the mcu and show wanda maximoff, loki, and bucky barnes crying and being sad but purposefully exclude sam wilson who had an entire show to tell us how difficult his life is, because people find out if pee oh sees are also complex, they'll tell the church.

and the reason why i picked up on this very early on is because i am an organic, certified fresh, 100% homegrown, non-gmo, a little ashy, indigenous sub saharan African black person. the ghanaian tribes i'm descended from have told me so, my black ass parents have told me so, and the nurses at the hospital in [insert asian country here] that started freaking out about how curly my hair was as my mother was mid pushing me out told me so!

and this stuff has real life implications. listen: being patronized as a black person sucks. do you know how many times i was patted on the back for doing quite honestly, the bare minimum in school? do you know how many times i was told how 'well spoken' or 'eloquent' i was because i just happen to have a white accent or use three syllable words? do you know how many times i've been cooed over by white women who couldn't get over how sweet i was just because i wasn't confrontational or rude like they wrongly expected me to be?

that's why they're called microaggressions. it's not a cross on your lawn or having the n-word spat in your face, but it cuts you down little by little until you're completely drained.

so that's the nuance. that's the subversion. the overcompensation is not a good thing. and people of color (and i suspect, even white people) have picked up on, in general, the different ways fandom treats sam and dani and even nate. what all of these discussions are converging on is fandom racism, which is not the diet form of racism, but another place for racism to reveal itself. and yeah, it's uncomfortable. it can seem out of left field. you may want to defend yourself. you may want to explain it away. but let me tap the sign on the proverbial bus:

if you are a white person, or a person of color who is not part of that racial group, even, you do not get to decide what is not racist for someone. full stop. there are no exceptions. there is no exit clause for you. there is no 'but, actually-'. that right wasn't even yours to cede or waive.

(it's also important to note that people of color also have the right to disagree on whether something is racist, but that doesn't necessarily negate the racism - it just means there's more to discuss and they can still leave with different interpretations)

people don't just whip out accusations of racism like a blue eyes white dragon in a yu-gi-oh duel. it's not fun for us. it's not something we like to do to muzzle people we don't want to engage with. and we're not concerned with making someone feel bad or ashamed. we're exposing something painful that we have to live with and, even worse, process literally everything we experience through. we can't turn it off. we can't be 'less sensitive' or 'less nitpicky'. we are literally the primary resources, we are the proverbial wikipedia articles with 3,000 sources when it comes to racism. who else would know more than us?

what 2020 has shown us very clearly is that racism is systemic. it's not always a bunch of Evil White Men rubbing their hands together in a dark room wondering how they're going to use the 'n-word' today. it's systemic. it's the way you call that one neighborhood 'sketchy'. it's how you use 'ratchet' and 'ghetto' when describing something bad. it's how you implicitly the assume the intelligence of your friend of color. it's the way you turned up your nose and your friend's food and bullied them for it in middle school but go to restaurants run by white people who have 'uplifted' it with inauthentic ingredients. it's telling someone how Well Spoken and Eloquent they are even though you've both gone to the same schools and work at the same workplace. it's the way you look down at some people of color for having a different body type than you because they've been redlined to neighborhoods where certain foods and resources are inaccessible, and yet mock up the racial features that appeal to you either through makeup or plastic surgery.

it's how when a person of color behaves badly, they're irredeemable, but a white person performing the same act or something similar is 'having a bad day' or 'isn't normally like this' or 'has room to grow' and we can't 'wait for their redemption arc', and yes, i'm not going to cover it in detail in this post but yes this is very much about nate. other people have also brought up the nuances in his arc and compared them to other white characters so i won't do it here.

these behaviors and reactions aren't planned. they aren't orchestrated. they're quite literally unconscious because they've been lovingly baked into western society for centuries. you can't wake up and be rid of it. whether you intended it or not, it can still be racist.

and it's actually quite hurtful and unfair to imply that concerns about racism in the TL fandom are unfounded or lacking any depth or simply meant to be sensational because you simply don't agree with it. i wish it was different, but it doesn't work that way. i'm not raising this up to 'call out' or shame people, but i'm adding to this discussion because, through how we talk about sam, and even dani and nate, i'm yet again seeing a pattern that has shortchanged people of color and made them feel unwelcome in fandom for far too long.

coach beard said it best: we need to do better.

#ted lasso #sam obisanya #ted lasso spoilers #fandom racism

[ibis-gt]

*slides you 37 pennies* how would luther handle trying to go on a public date with cam (movie, restaurant, etc.) with the whole… affection turns height to no.

had two requests for this one so here u go! luther does his best to keep it together for date night. 2750 words, warning for brief mention of violence in a movie and some hanky panky between consenting adults. not explicit, just a little spicy.

~~~

Four months into their relationship, and Luther has more of a handle on things now.

He’s got the size thing totally under control. He hardly ever shrinks just because Cam looked at him anymore. He can take a compliment like a champion. Those soft, sweet, gentle smiles that spread across Cam’s face like molasses? Barely make him lose an inch. Physical contact? He’s… still working on that one.

But at the very least they can have date nights in public now, as long as Cam behaves himself, and Cam is quite willing to behave himself. Most of the time.

It’s a snowy Saturday night in December, and they’ve got a date planned. Cam will pick Luther up at eight, they’ll go have dinner at a local sushi place, watch a late night special feature from the 80s, and then come back home for some wine and light snuggling before bed. An absolutely perfect night, if Luther can make it through enough of it full-size.

He’s still debating his outfit when a gentle knock at his front door heralds his beloved’s arrival. Five minutes early as usual.

“It’s open!” Luther calls. “C’mon in and help me choose, will you?” He’s standing in his bedroom in a pair of black slacks with the horrid green jumpsuit undone and tied around his waist, staring critically at his two choices of top. A lovely turquoise turtleneck, or a stylish electric blue button-up. The floor creaks behind him as Cam ambles in. “Which one do you think is better? I guess it depends on what you’re wear - eep!”

Luther squeaks and jumps as Cam presses his lips to Luther’s neck, big warm hands sliding up his arms to rest on his bare shoulders, sending an involuntary shiver down his spine.

“Both look nice,” Cam murmurs in his ear. “But I think I like the blue one better.”

“C-cam,” Luther whines, his face going pink. “If you keep this up we’re not even going to get out the door.” The hands remove themselves, and Cam pulls back, chuckling.

“Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. All that exposed real estate, you know.” He lets out a perfect wolf whistle. God damn him. Luther glares over his shoulder and folds his arms, letting annoyance take over.

“We’ve been planning this for weeks, and you’re going to ruin it,” he pouts. “Go on, out. Wait in the living room if you’re going to be like this.” Cam puts his hands up in a placating gesture and retreats, but that damn smile doesn’t leave his face. Luther tosses his hair and huffs, secretly proud of himself. He didn’t even lose a half inch. He turns back to consider his options.

Well, if Cam is so focused on his neck tonight, that sweater might be the better option to afford him some protection. But he said he liked the button-up better… It’s lighter than the sweater so it won’t keep him as warm, but that means he can steal Cam’s big coat later on. The turtleneck would completely cover the green jumpsuit, but the blue of the button-up actually compliments it nicely. Luther nods decisively. The button-up will be perfect.

He dresses quickly, gives himself a final once-over in the mirror, unbuttons his top button, and heads out to see Cam. His boyfriend - his boyfriend! The thought still sends a thrill through him - has picked up the cat, Scrunge, and is stroking her head, making little baby noises at her. She purrs in her usual way, fast and loud, like a revving motorcycle. Cam sets her down when he sees Luther and sighs happily.

“You look fantastic,” he says.

“You clean up pretty nice yourself.” Luther crosses the room and fondly brushes a loose strand of hair behind Cam’s ear. Cam’s in a dark grey v-neck shirt and black suit jacket, slightly tarnished silver cufflinks adorning the sleeves. He’s got his big heavy winter coat draped over one arm so he doesn’t overheat in the relative warmth of the apartment. Luther sneaks a covetous little glance at it before grabbing his own shabby coat off a hook near the door.

He bends down to give Scrunge a goodbye scritch behind the ears. “Behave yourself while I’m out,” he tells her. “No tearing around the place and knocking things over.” She meows plaintively. Luther retrieves her bag of treats and gives her two as a bribe, which she accepts happily.

“Okay,” Luther says, straightening and shrugging on his coat. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Cam says, and takes his hand.

They walk to the restaurant. No point in searching for parking, it’d take longer than just hoofing it anyway. It’s been snowing on and off throughout the week and piles of dirty slush cover the sidewalk. It’s cold, but Luther’s coat is keeping him warm enough for now. He and Cam hold hands as they walk to the restaurant, and Luther doesn’t even shrink a little bit. His chest swells with so much pride he thinks his feet might leave the ground.

The place is only a little busy, so they have a short wait before they’re shown to their table. They get their usual orders. Luther prefers simple rolls and nigiri so the taste of the fish is front and center, while Cam likes to get the complicated, loaded rolls for the variety of texture and flavor. While they wait for their food to arrive, Luther fills Cam in on Scrunge’s latest reign of terror in his apartment, and how much it’ll cost to fix the cracked frame of the painting she’d somehow managed to knock off the wall in her frenzy to catch the fabled red laser dot.

The food arrives. Cam offers Luther a taste of his rolls - he’s gotten something deep fried with cream cheese, cucumber, and crab, and another loaded high with four kinds of fish, topped with roe. Luther tries the one with all the fish, but passes on the deep fried one. He trades Cam a piece of mackerel nigiri. Then he continues on talking, telling Cam about his week, how work’s been, the new guy they hired, and the annoying new habit his coworker’s formed of singing along with the music on the jukebox, regardless of whether she knows the lyrics or not.

Luther suddenly catches the look in Cam’s eyes. There’s something… hungry in them. It’s the only way he can describe it. It’s not regular hungry, because he’s practically ignoring his food in favor of listening intently to Luther’s rambling story. He’s leaning forward, arms folded on the table in front of him, drinking in every word Luther has to say. He’s hungry for him. The realization hits Luther like a truck and he stops mid-sentence, jaw dropping, a blush starting to spread across his face.

“What’s wrong?” Cam asks, innocent as ever. How could he even know the effect he has on Luther? How could Luther ever explain?

“N-nothing, um, I… I’ve been talking a lot, why don’t you take over for a bit? What’s keeping you busy at work?” It was delightful to listen to Cam ramble on about his job. Luther barely understood a word of it, but his enthusiasm was adorable and, importantly, not about Luther. He could keep it together and breathe a bit, work on calming down the scramble of emotion in his gut.

Sure enough, he wins himself a good fifteen minutes of calm while Cam talks on about carburetors and mufflers and manifolds. He could be making it up for all Luther knows. It’s not until Cam realizes his deep fried roll has gone cold that he breaks off to eat. They finish their food, decide to pass on dessert, pay, and head for the theater.

It’s only a few blocks away, a fifteen minute walk at most. The night has gotten a little colder and darker, and now stray snowflakes drift and spin through the air, catching the streetlights and twinkling like stars. Cam has a lot of fun pretending he’s a dragon, his warm breath turning to steaming clouds in the freezing air. Luther’s shivering now, his old secondhand coat doing little to protect him from the chill. Cam notices, of course, and whips his own coat off in an instant.

“Oh, please,” Luther demurs, “You’re so chivalrous, but really, I’m fine.”

“You’re shaking like a weathervane in a hurricane, sweetheart. I’ll be fine, I’m my own space heater.” Cam arranges the coat over Luther’s shoulders neatly and slips his arm around Luther’s waist, pulling him in close. It’s so warm and so nice, and so very, very close. Luther’s shivers slacken and cease, and then one more shakes him, different from the rest.

“Oh no,” Luther whispers, “I was doing so well, please…”

Luckily, he only loses about three inches. His clothes are a little looser, and he’s engulfed a little more by Cam’s huge coat, but he’s still a perfectly normal height. He sighs in relief.

“So what’s this movie we’re seeing?” Luther asks, trying to take his mind off of things.

“Oh, so it’s this old sci fi cult classic based on a book no one’s ever read. I saw it the first time when I was like… eight? And it scarred me for life, really, and now I’m obsessed with this shit. The special effects are super gnarly, and they hold up okay, even though you can totally see the tube for the fake blood in the decapitation scene. Don’t worry too much about following the plot, it’s not really the point of the movie, but what you should know ahead of time is…”

Cam rambles on like that, filling the night with fog. Luther snuggles in closer and listens happily, totally at ease. He made it through the most important part of the night, and once they get in the theater, he can relax. It doesn’t matter if he shrinks in the theater - from what Cam’s said, the only people watching this late-night special feature will be die-hard fans who’ll be glued to the screen, and in the darkness they won’t have to worry about anyone catching sight of them.

That also means, of course, that Cam might get a little handsy once the lights dim. If he’s being honest, Luther would be disappointed if he didn’t.

They get a seat in the back row. As the previews start up, Cam reaches over and takes Luther’s chin in his hand, turning it gently so they face each other. For a moment, he just holds them there, staring into Luther’s eyes with an adoring softness that makes Luther’s heart sing. Then he leans in and kisses him, just once, softly on the mouth. Luther shivers and loses another few inches. Cam lets him go, but Luther’s not satisfied. He grabs Cam’s collar and pulls him down for another kiss, this one deeper and hungrier. Cam chuckles against his mouth and nips at his bottom lip, catching it between his teeth for just a moment. Luther sits back heavily in his seat, breath coming in shallow gasps. He grips his armrests tight, trying to pay attention to the trailer for the newest slasher flick as it blares out through the theater. No dice. He’s losing height fast now, shrinking down to four feet tall, his normal clothes hanging off his frame.

They stay apart for all of a minute before Cam’s hand sneaks across the seat and slides into place on Luther’s thigh. He strokes his thumb back and forth in a slow rhythm, humming happily. Luther gasps and shrinks more, staring wide-eyed as Cam’s hand covers more and more of him, soon easily encompassing his entire thigh.

He’s maybe two feet tall now and he can’t see the screen over the seat in front of him. Cam glances down, catching the pouting, grumpy look on Luther’s face, and presses a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

“Here, sweetheart,” Cam murmurs, and picks Luther up with one hand. With the other, he frees him from his clothing so that he’s only clad in the jumpsuit. Cam settles Luther gently on his lap. This has fixed the problem of not being able to see the screen, but only momentarily. Luther goes bright red and dwindles down even further. By the time the previews have finished, he’s only eight inches tall.

As the opening theme blares with discordant trumpets, Cam pinches the back of Luther’s jumpsuit between thumb and forefinger and lifts him up. He dangles Luther in front of his face for a moment, expression torn between adoring and apologetic, then brings him in close for a gentle kiss. He sets Luther on his shoulder and hands him a piece of popcorn.

Luther hides his burning face behind the buttery morsel. He’d been expecting a little hanky panky, but nothing so direct. Stolen kisses, maybe a fake yawn that disguised Cam putting his arm around Luther, a little playing with his hair. Going for the thigh like that… that was entirely unexpected. He’s beginning to suspect Cam was trying to get him tiny.

The movie is just as gory and weird as promised. Luther isn’t super squeamish, but more than once he turns and ducks his face into Cam’s neck, squealing in disgust, his voice quiet enough at this size that he doesn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone else. Every time, he feels Cam shake under him with silent laughter, enjoying Luther’s reactions.

The movie ends before too long, and the other theatergoers file out, chatting animatedly with one another about the flick. Cam holds his hand up to his chest, and Luther pushes himself off Cam’s shoulder, landing gracefully in his palm. Cam sets him down on the armrest while he folds up Luther’s discarded clothing and tucks it in an inner pocket of his big coat. He looks down at Luther and tilts his head to one side, lips pursed in a calculating expression.

“You’re just a little too big to hide comfortably… here, let’s fix that.” Cam puts his elbows on either side of Luther on the armrest and looms over him, completely blocking the dim theater lights overhead. Luther takes a few involuntary steps back and bumps up against Cam’s hands, linked together behind him to form a ring penning him in. “You’re all mine now,” Cam breathes, quiet as a whisper. “So tiny and cute. I’m going to put you in my pocket and carry you home, and then… well, then we’ll see what I’ll do with you, hm?” A crooked, meaningful grin spreads across Cam’s face, and that hungry look comes back into his eyes.

It works like a charm. Luther’s legs shake, his heart pounds, and he shivers. He dwindles down to half his height, a mere four inches.

“There we go,” Cam croons, and scoops him up in one hand. Cam stows him safely in his coat pocket, held in a loose fist to keep him safe from jostling and the cold. He exits the theater and moves through the crowds easily. People tend to make way when they see a man his size coming towards them.

Luther curls up against Cam’s fingers and sighs happily. Cam’s hand is warm, calloused in places but soft in others, and the pocket sways gently with his gait. It’s so safe and cozy, combined with the late hour and the exhaustion of the day, it’s the perfect recipe to knock him out. He fights the heaviness of his eyelids as long as he can, but only makes it a few blocks before he’s fast asleep.

~~~

“Whew, cold one out tonight,” Cam says as he unlocks the door to Luther’s apartment. He can already hear Scrunge wailing on the other side. “I hope you weren’t too frozen in there.” He pushes the door open and addresses the cat. “Yes, we’re home, hello darling, we missed you too.” She winds around his legs and purr-meows at top volume. “Okay, okay, other people are trying to sleep,” Cam hisses. “You’re gonna wake up the whole floor, shitty kitty.” She mrrps in disapproval.

He pulls Luther out of his pocket. “So, babe, do you wanna - oh.” The little dear is asleep, snoring softly. Cam smiles and presses a kiss to his chest. He takes a seat on the couch, sighing as he plops himself down. Scrunge leaps up into his lap immediately and puts her front legs up on his chest, sniffing at Luther in his hand.

“Poor dear’s all tuckered out,” Cam murmurs, giving her a scritch. “Let’s let him rest.”

#asks #writing #cam and luther #gulliver's hanahaki #g/t #giant tiny #hit post before i remembered tags exist oops

[anekogia]

A few dark/sad headcanons I thought of about Twisted Wonderland characters

1. Riddle's parents are divorced

This is probably something a lot of fans thought, but the reasons I thought of were pretty sad.

As many of us know, Riddle's mother has been the one controlling everything in his life. However, where is his father.

Well, my headcanon is compared to his mother, Riddle's father is a lot tamer, and allowed his son to have a bit of freedom in his life. However, Riddle's mother disapproves of such lifestyle. As such, that let to a lot of arguments in the Rosehearts household.

Then, at a young age, Riddle's parents divorced, with his mother getting custody of him due to her being able to give Riddle a 'better' life. His father was allowed to see him, but was refused many times over the course of Riddle's life by his mother because she did not want her ex-husband to influence him into a 'frivolous' lifestyle. It went to the point where Riddle's father was cut of from their lives.

As a result, Riddle never had any paternal love growing up and also resented his father because he thought he never cared for him. However, deep down, he really misses him and hope that they would be able to have fun again.

2. Leona is repeating on purpose

As many of us know, if we exclude Malleus and Lilia, Leona is technically the oldest student in NRC. It has been stated by Ruggie during the Happy Bean Day even that Leona has repeated several times. However, it had also shown that the second prince is actually very intelligent (As seen in many SSR stories and said by his brother), and that his repeating may have been due to the fact he often skips classes.

However, what if he is doing all of this on purpose.

As shown after his overblot, Leona was treated unfairly and looked down upon in his homeland because he is the second-born. Though one may argue that the servants are speaking ill of him because he treats them harshly, that could be due to the fact the servants have been looking down on him even as a innocent child who did not understand anything. That could have lead to Leona growing up to having a cold attitude towards those who verbally abused him, and towards his older brother, Farena.

It was around that time Leona also started showing signs of depression, but he hides it cleverly.

It was not until he joined NRC where he started getting the recognition that he so craved his whole life. People praised and looked up to him, after years of getting looked down for his rank.

Not wanting to lose that, Leona purposefully skipped classes, knowing it will cause him to repeat grades. In turn, it will allow him to stay in NRC longer, allowing him to continue gaining the love and attention he so craved.

3. Ortho is Idia's older brother

As chapter 6 has not been released, I'm just putting this as a headcanon for now.

There has been speculation (and confirmation?) that Ortho his actually Idia's deceased biological brother who he brought back to life. However, what if instead of his younger brother, Ortho is his older brother.

Growing up, the Shroud siblings were very close to one another, despite the older being sickly most of the time. Being the shy one of the two, Idia was only comfortable with Ortho by his side.

However, one day, Ortho grew incredibly ill. Despite their parents best attempts to help him, he soon succumbed to his illness, and passed away while young Idia was looking into his room.

Instead of burying their deceased son, Idia's parents preserved Ortho's body, so they could continue seeing their son.

With Ortho gone, attentions has shifted towards Idia. As the healthy child, he was given immense pressure by his parents and the nobility to become a great and proper noble.

However, as he grew, Idia became even more closed of, turning to gaming and manga as a source of entertainment. It was also then he realized his parents are still grieving their loss.

As he was missing Ortho too, Idia studied hard and turned to technology to find a way to revive his brother. He also decided to build a new body for him, knowing his old one would be too weak to support him.

Then, years later, on his brother's birthday, Idia stole his body and hooked him up to a contraption his build specifically to revive him, much to his parents' dismay.

Though it worked, Idia's parents refused to accept the new Ortho, knowing that their son was nothing more than a machine now.

4. Silver is the heir of a Kingdom Malleus destroyed

There has been a lot of speculation that Silver is the descendant of Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). However, there has been more speculation on why Malleus and Lilia took in orphaned baby Sliver. So, I have a theory.

Sliver is indeed the descendant of Aurora, though it is kept a secret from him. As Malleus is hundreds of years old and is said to have a grandmother who's magic surpasses his, it is safe to assume that his is in fact the grandson of the Witches of Thorns, Maleficent, herself.

So, years before, there was a war between the Valley of Thorns and Silver's kingdom. As humans had nothing against the faires, they were destroyed by Malleus army. However, an incident caused Malleus to lose control of his dragon form, causing him to rampage through the Kingdom, despite him never having the attention to harm it in any way.

It was around that time Silver was also born. After he was born, the royals were forced to evacuate the castle and seek shelter. However, before they could, Malleus came flying into the castle, destroying it.

As he was about to burn the Kingdom into a crisp, Malleus heard baby Sliver crying from the distance, causing him to snap out of his trance.

Unable to process what he has done, he and Lilia first seeked out the source of the crying. Upon coming across the palace rubbles, Malleus quick spotted a young woman holding a bundle tightly in her arms.

Upon walking towards her, the pair recognized the woman as the kingdom's princess and realized she was holding a baby.

Malleus, overcome with grief, tried to safe the child's mother, but after failing, she told him to stop. The princess assured him she does not blamed him and that her kingdom was bound to fall anything due to their pride and selfishness.

Her last wish was for Malleus and Lilia always to take her newborn son and raise him to be a good person. She knew the heir of the Valley of Thorns was the grandson of the witch who cursed her ancestor years ago, leading to a hostile rivalry between the Kingdom and the dark fae. However, she knew that her son would be in the right hands.

Malleus accepts her request, on the condition that he and Lilia would raise her son to one day kill him.

The princess simply smiled at him before saying "You are a good person".

With the war ended, Malleus and Lilia brought the baby back to the Valley of Thorns. They named him Silver on the account of his hair color, and also naming him after the weapon that almost killed his grandmother.

Damn, this was longer that I thought. This was just stuff I thought of after rewatching the Twisted Wonderland playthrough on YouTube. I didn't think it would delve into difficult topics like the ones mentioned about.

Anyway, this is probably the only headcanon list I would make (most because I'm out of ideas), but if there is any specific dark/sad headcanons of specific characters you would like to see, do type suggestions, and I would review them.

Anyway, that's it for now, sorry if I made you cry.

#disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #riddle rosehearts #leona kingscholar #twst silver #lilia vanrouge #malleus draconia

[rinitachan]

I was just re-reading the Ocarina of Time manga by Akira Himekawa, and holy shit it does not fuck around.

Okay so it gave Link and Volvagia (the fire temple boss) a backstory together where Link purchased the baby dragon in Castle town market and it learned his name and loved him, it was good and sweet… until seven years passed and Link now has to kill Volvagia. He doesn’t want to, and tries desperately to get the dragon to remember him, but it’s useless and he ends up having to kill Volvagia. And unlike in the game, where Volvagia burns up into a skeleton (rated E for everyone), the manga does this:

//Image id: Link is shown decapitating the dragon Volvagia and there are two panels depicting the severed head falling to the ground also showing that one of the eyes has an arrow embedded in it. End id//

Oh and the best part? After being decapitated, Volvagia does this:

//Image id: Volvagia’s severed head hits the ground, startling two gorons standing nearby. Link looks at the disembodied head, and the head stares back at him with more detailed looking and innocent eyes. It starts to tear up as it chokes out “Li…nk…” and dies. The head then disintegrates and it shows Link scowling with tears coming out of his eyes. End id//

Yeah, that’s Link, the hero of time, crying because he had to kill someone he loved.

And later in the Desert, he has hallucinations of things haunting him and the manga gives us this little gem:

//Image id: Volvagia’s severed head is floating above link, sand falling from its eyes as if it were crying, the text box reads “L…Link… It hurts, Link…” end id//

And as a reminder: THIS WAS PUBLISHED UNDER THE VIZ KIDS LABEL.

TWILIGHT PRINCESS WAS DENIED FOR BEING TOO SCARY BUT THIS IS A-OKAY FOR CHILDREN. (Twilight Princess’ manga is darker than the actual game, and it’s being published under the regular Viz label, so it’s 100% not for kids, and it was also the first Zelda rated anything above an E10 rating.)

So yeah, the Zelda Manga doesn’t fuck around.

#legend of zelda #ocarina of time #legend of Zelda manga #akira himekawa #not my art #this was not for kids #tw gore #tw decapitation

[legend-collection]

Qilin

Qilin generally have Chinese dragon-like features: similar heads with antlers, eyes with thick eyelashes, manes that always flow upward, and beards. The body is fully or partially scaled and often shaped like an ox, deer, or horse. They are always shown with cloven hooves. While dragons in China (and thus qilin) are also most commonly depicted as golden, qilin may be of any color or even various colors, and can be depicted as bejeweled or exhibiting a jewel-like brilliance. Common color choices for depictions are often associated with the elements, precious metals, stars, and gemstones, but can additionally include earth-tones and modest browns.

The qilin is depicted throughout a wide range of Chinese art, sometimes with parts of their bodies on fire. On occasion, they will have feathery features or decorations, fluffy curly tufts of hair, as depicted in Ming Dynasty horse art on various parts of the legs, from fetlocks to upper legs, or even with decorative fish-like fins as embellishments, or carp fish whiskers, or scales. It is said their auspicious voice sounds like the tinkling of bells, chimes, and the wind.

There are variations in the appearance of the qilin in historical China, owing to cultural differences between dynasties and regions. During the Jin dynasty, the qilin was depicted as wreathed in flame and smoke, with a dragon-like head, scales, and the body of a powerful hooved beast such as a horse. In the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the qilin was represented as an oxen-hoofed animal with a dragon-like head surmounted by a pair of horns and flame-like head ornaments. The qilin of China's subsequent Manchu Qing dynasty (1644–1911) was a particular fanciful animal with the head of a dragon, the antlers of a deer, the skin and scales of a fish, the hooves of an ox and tail of a lion.

According to Taoist mythology, although they can look fearsome, qilin only punish the wicked; thus there exist accounts of court trials and judgments based on qilin divinely knowing whether a defendant is good or evil, guilty or innocent, in ancient lore and stories.

In Buddhist-influenced depictions, qilin will refuse to walk upon grass for fear of harming a single blade, and thus are often depicted walking upon the clouds or the water. As they are divine and peaceful creatures, their diets do not include flesh. They take great care when they walk to never tread on a living creature, and appear only in areas ruled by a wise and benevolent leader, which can include a household. Qilin can become fierce if a pure person is threatened by a malicious one, spouting flames from their mouths and exercising other fearsome powers that vary from story to story.

Legends tell that qilin have appeared in the garden of the legendary Yellow Emperor and in the capital of Emperor Yao; both events bore testimony to the benevolent nature of the rulers. It has also been told that the birth of the great sage Confucius was foretold by the arrival of a qilin. Qilin are also thought to be symbols of luck, good omens, protection, prosperity, success and longevity by the Chinese; they may additionally appear as symbols of fertility, often depicted as bringing a baby to a family.

by keita okada

#qilin #china #asia

[writingwhimsey]

Lady of Azuchi Ch. 7

Chapter 7

Echigo...

Shingen sat reading the report sent to him. "Very interesting." He said.

"What is it?" Kenshin asked him.

"According to my spy, apparently the devil has left his lair for a good will trip to one of his newly conquered domains."

"How would the midwife get this information?" Kenshin asked.

"Well, apparently she is going to help see to it that the expectant mother is properly cared for on the trip." Shingen answered. "Apparently the devil's right hand and the one-eyed dragon on on the trip as well."

"It would be a good time to move on Azuchi." Kenshin said. "But there would be no fun in it if Nobunaga is not there."

"Agreed." Shingen said. "The territory isn't too far from here. We could always surprise Nobunaga, but that would mean catching my spy in the middle of it...as well as risking harming the Lady Ava."

"She is a useless woman." Kenshin said. "Killing her would bring much pain to Nobunaga before he died."

"You kidnapped her once and may have threatened to kill her, but you did not." Shingen replied. "Besides, there is no need to harm the lady. We want Nobunaga's head not an innocent woman's."

"She ruined my last war with Nobunaga. I won't have her ruining another one."

"Calm yourself Kenshin. We will have our war and revenge on Nobunaga. We just have to wait for the right opportunity. I have a feeling it will present itself soon."

Little did Lord Shingen know that someone else had also seen the report he was now looking at and had made plans. Plans that would bring about war and destruction much sooner than anyone planned.

Ava...

After five days of travel we arrived at the town that was hosting the village. It was bigger than a village, but smaller than Azuchi, still a nice area. We were greeted warmly by the local daimyo.

"Welcome, Lord Nobunaga." He greeted with a deep and respectful bow. He then turned to me. "And you must be Lady Ava. And I see that the rumors are true, both of your good news and of your beauty. I congratulate you both on the joyous news."

"Thank you." I said with a smile. Though it did feel like he was laying it on a bit thick.

"It is also my honor to welcome you as well, Lord Hideyoshi, Lord Masamune." He said bowing to them as well. "And who might this lovely creature be?" He asked, looking at Asuna.

"I am Asuna. Lady Ava's midwife." She answered, bowing. "It is my honor to be welcomed here as well, thank you."

"Please make yourselves at home. My maids will show you to your quarters and once you are settled I will happily show you around the festival and my town, this evening."

"Thank you. Your hospitality is most welcome and appreciated." Nobunaga replied.

We were then shown to our rooms, where we settled and unpacked. The maids had already drawn a bath for me as well, which was rather nice. After all of the travelling it was nice to enjoy a warm soak and the maids had insisted on washing my hair, which felt extremely nice.

I didn't want to get used to people taking care of me like this, but it was hard to deny how nice it felt. I just reminded myself that it was just like getting my hair done at the salon in the modern day. I think that will always be my though when someone else washes my hair...well except when Nobunaga decided to do it. Though that was just because of what his touch did to me.

Once my bath was finished and I was changed into clean clothes, I joined Nobunaga and the others for tea with the daimyo before the sunset. Then we were heading out into the town to walk around the festival.

I walked hand-in-hand with Nobunaga through the town. I looked around taking in all of the sights, sounds, and smells. There were stalls with food, stalls with fabrics, and crafts. Everything was so beautiful and really not too different from festivals I attended in the modern day.

Lanterns lit the the streets and held Oda crest on them, something the daimyo had insisted on to honor our visit. "How do you find the festival?" Nobunaga asked me, though he could easily tell by the smile on my face.

"I am loving it." I answered. "It reminds me of festivals we had back in my hometown."

"Not too different?" He asked.

"Not majorly, anyways." I answered with a smile.

As we walked through the vendors who were all set up, I couldn't help but to notice a smell. Something quite delicious in fact. "Oooh, I think I smell dumplings." I said.

"You enjoy dumplings, my lady?" The daimyo asked.

"One of my favorites." I answered. "Something I've been craving as of late."

"This shop here has the best in town." He said pointing me in the direction of one of the vendors.

"Oh, I can tell by the smell." I replied.

Nobunaga softly chuckled. "Let us go get you some dumplings." He said.

As we all walked toward the vendor, I noticed a look on Asuna's face. "Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"There's just something off with one of these smells." She answered. "I can't quite pinpoint it, but something just...smells...off."

"Probably just all of the aromas mixing together throwing you off." Masamune said with a shrug.

We approached the vendor and ordered a box of dumplings. We then went to sit down and I pulled out a skewer of dumplings. I offered them to the others, but everyone else but Asuna declined. I was about to pop a dumpling in my mouth when Asuna swatted them out of my hand.

I looked at her stunned. Everyone else was looking at her with questioning eyes.

"You can't eat those my lady." She said, her face gravely serious.

"I know we talked about me eating less sweets, but I haven't had any today." I protested.

"No, that's not it." She said, shaking her head. "Remember how I said something smelled off? I recognize why now."

"What do you mean?" Nobunaga asked.

"The smell, it's given off by an herb that if cut a certain way can have many medicinal benefits, but when cut the wrong way, it is poisonous. It gives off this scent when it has been cut incorrectly and is poisonous." Asuna answered.

My eyes widened. That would have been the second time I would have been poisoned...and this time we don't have Ieyasu here to create an antidote.

"Masamune." Nobunaga said.

Masamune was already in the process of getting up. "On it my lord." He said, his hand going to rest on his sword as he went towards the vendor who sold us the dumplings.

"I am so sorry, my lord." Our host said. "I never would have imagined that this would happen. Allow me to assist Lord Masamune." He was then starting to get up, but Hideyoshi placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back down to the seat beside him.

"Masamune is fine." Nobunaga said. "He can handle questioning a baker." His eyes were cold as he looked at our host.

I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"You were the one who directed us to that baker's stall." Hideyoshi said. "You claimed he made the best dumplings."

Nobunaga was calling over one of the other vassals we had brought with us. "Carry a message back to Azuchi. Ieyasu and Mitsuhide are to come here immediately to help with this investigation."

"Yes my lord." The vassal replied and instantly headed out.

"Until my investigation is complete, no one is to come in or out of this town." Nobunaga ordered. He sent another vassal to gather troops that were stationed nearby. The troops were to also bring supplies.

'I swear to you, I had no idea that this would happen." The daimyo said. "I will give you my full cooperation."

Nobunaga and Hideyoshi were both glaring daggers at the man. I felt sorry for him and was about to reach my hand over to Nobunaga to speak up, but then a thought had occurred to me. There's a chance I could have survived the poisoning...but my baby...my baby is a different story. I thought, my hand flying to my stomach in an unconscious protective way. If that had happened... I couldn't even finish the thought and my blood ran cold at the thought of losing my baby. The little life I was growing inside me, created by the love that Nobunaga and I shared, snuffed out before it even had the chance to truly begin.

As these thoughts came to my mind, I had a hard time feeling any sympathy for the people involved. Had it just been me, I think I would have felt the way I always had...but I had my baby to worry about now. I felt so many conflicting and terrifying emotions running through me. How had such a fun trip gone so terribly wrong so terribly fast?

Read what happens next below!

https://writingwhimsey.tumblr.com/post/661509101157859328/lady-of-azuchi-ch-8

#ikesen nobunaga #ikesen #ikemen series #ikemen sengoku #fanfic #fanfiction #romance #chapter 7

[thestarbornpilgrim]

Okay Okay

You all want my full theory, so as a good blogger I will provide. Tell me if I run off course. And no one tag me with the timeline, I am well aware of the the timeline. What I am theorizing does fit into the timeline. So lets begin.

So we are aware of the Megabird. God, or creator, call them what you will. A creature of light. It gifted the light to the first of its creation, is also aware that the promised land was a lot easier to get through and the only way to be reborn, as mentioned in the first part of the timeline.

But we are also aware that at one point, immortality or god-like power was reserved only for the elders and that for those who could not make it through the promised land, death was final. This is noted in the time during the “Dark Stone Era.”

And name one player who hasn't at least heard of the king and the prince. Now all this is connected, so bear with me.

Assuming my theory is correct when you are reborn, you are reborn as a youth, no matter what age you go through. It seems as though the Ancients didn't migrate to the promised land to be reborn until they age. (See image below) For the sake of theory, in the beginning, that was part of their life cycle ritual. You grew old, and if you aged, you were granted access to rebirth through the promise land door. However, if you died before your time, you were not reborn. Pretty simple.Now, you have the prince who seems to have survived several centuries without aging, but their is no mention of him being reborn. Judging by the images as well, you aren’t allowed to be reborn and yet he has not changed. Meanwhile the ancestors are aged, tall and grown, perhaps ready to Migrate. 

The Elders then take their place at each of the realms. Including the prince, who is granted a throne in Eden as king. 

Proof that the prince is one of the elders is in some of the concept art as well. (Look at baby princy)

As we know from the timeline, Megabird has created a balance, a chance for people to live their lives, have children, grow and share, and yes, even die. They are eventually reborn to start a new life. And judging by this culture, as well as many other cultures who share reincarnation beliefs, you may have been reborn as animals and plants too. So keep that in mind. This what I meant by Megabird; sure, they may not be perfect. But they seem to be an entity of balance, fairness, and wisdom. 

Mind you, there isn't flight during this time either, at least not by their own power. All the traveling is done one foot, and as the creators mentioned and revealed, there are and perhaps are even more villages in this world. Meaning people settled, people ate, people lived. 

Okay, how we doing? Still here? GREAT!Let’s keep going!

Now to why the elders may be broken, and yes even dead. The Elders are obsessed with immortality find a way to cheat it, giving themself godlike powers.  Unlike what is believed to be in the timeline, I believe the Elders came before and corrupted the king. 

So why.

Because they thought they had the right to. It’s mentioned that the Elders think they better then Megabird, separating themselves from its worship.

Note how all the Elders match the above colors, not only in death but even in life. When shown in nonspirit form, it is revealed that all of them match the dark opposing colors of the light. Aka Megabird. Often in myths, legendary characters are torn down by their hubris, which isn’t surprising as they considered themselves “Godly” with the dark stones. But it’s a little more than that.

There is another color, rarely mentioned and rarely even seen throughout the game. Red

Red seems to represent anger and aggression. And it is well noted that Eden has gone beyond corruption. It is swarming with dangers, including red crystals that suck up your light and the red beams of the Krill or Dragons that eat your light.

The king (Once Prince) Became furious, angry. Why? Well, remember those trials last season? And remember Anubis? And remember how I mentioned that if you died before your time, it was pretty much final? 

Anyone who has gone through the trials knows the mural. They know the mural and the prince featured at the end, but they must also remember this:

(Credit here X) Notice the blue bodies, the ones not moving? Remember how Anubis is the god of burial? What if the prince went through the trials and several of his friends and instead of coming out with them, he came out... alone. Coming out of the trials he is crowned the soul king of Eden, and the corruption begins.

As mentioned in the timeline, the Dark Stones Corrupt. The prince wearing the dark stones as a child is more easily corrupted. The colors are a huge signifier of what side the people are on, which is mentioned in the concept art as well.

The prince, realizing that death is final, facing unspeakable dangers is broken. His innocents shattered and making him even more susceptible to the dark stone. The trials are nothing more than a haunting nightmare. One he can't rid himself.

Infuriated, and broken hearted he goes to find answers, traveling to the realms, angrily destroying that which keeps the elders alive as each of them refuses his wishes. They selfishly hoard their immortality while realizing that the children would die in horrific ways. For what?  Finally, reaching the priest in the Vaults. 

It is mentioned to be a place of hope of wisdom and, of course, kept secrets. He fights with her, trying to find a way to bring back his friends, but she refused to delve into the secret. Perhaps knowing that if he does, it could tip the balance further, destroy her, destroy the elders, who are already suffering due to their broken dark stones. He doesn't accept her answer or forced calm. Instead taking the information by force. Eden is his realm, and soon after leaving the vault, it becomes as corrupted and as inhospitable as him. 

He is trying to bring back his friends; he will get them. But in the process, he tips it too far. Destroying Eden and all the people who are there. Killing all current life and plunging the promised land and the world into silence except for the monsters corrupted and stirring.

Megabird was horrified by this and his attempt. The prince has destroyed the cycle of life and death, leaving an empty world with its most loved creatures gone. Yes, the prince gets his wish, his friends returned to life... in their own way.

As memoryless, motionless, winged lights.

The Megabird then creates a new creature, with the cycle broken and the world in chaos. The only way to bring balance is to create creatures who can collect and remind their past spirits and send them home. The curse of the winged lights is now used to fuel the new creation of their world. While the Elders, including the prince himself, are cursed to relive the last moments of their mistakes over and over again. An echo, a mere shadow of their former grandeur. The prince is trapped within the eye of his anger and corruption, afraid, lost, and eternal.

This leads to the final section of the game, the area where you embrace the light. Huddling and alone in the dark, hesitant at your offer to accept them. And yet another winged light. Giving his light to you and all who visit as eternal retribution for his mistake.

And Cut!

#sky children of the light #sky #that sky game #theory #head canon #sky children of the light head canons #sky children of the light theories #skychildrenofthelight #thatskygame #thatgamecompany #that game sky #that game company

[aims-at-skies]

Book 4: Air

The 4th season of ATLA should have been a series of episodes in the life of Aang before he ran away and encased himself in the iceberg. Here are a list of HC episodes I came up with. Hope you enjoy!

1 - Reincarnation. Where after Roku's death, it is immediately followed by Aangs birth. Nothing of note as to him being the Avatar as he's just another happy/innocent Air Nomad baby. This way we'll get a look into Air Nation upbringing as well as the type of baby Aang might have been growing up.

2 - Companions For Life. A whole episode dedicated to the first time and days of Aang receiving Appa. Showing how the monks teach responsibility and work ethic to kids with having them maintain and bond with their Sky Bison, showing how one takes care of a bison and how one can learn from them. Particularly with Aang and Appa getting to know and understand one another.

3 - Tattoos. In which we see Aang master most Air Bending Arts, showing prowess in the element, but unable to master the last one. This episode could delve into his initial frustrations but dive into his creativity more as he impresses the nomads by inventing the Air Scooter which Gyatso grants him his tattoos.

4 - Kuzon. In which Aang visits the Fire Nation for the first time. For the audience, this will be a moment of terror as Aang is about to encounter what we know is the culture that destroyed his. But bc this is Pre Sozin’s Comet, we see just how happy and eager the mostly isolated FN is to receive visitors. We see Dragons Flying overhead, people showing Aang around before we ultimately meet Kuzon, with both getting into trouble. This episode could reveal how Kuzon was a good dancer and taught Aang who was able to master the abilities much more flexible to perform say the Flying Dragon.

5 - Mad Genius. Bumi episode. That's it, just Bumi and Aang wildin’ in Omashu's delivery system, probably busting a robbery heist in the process planned by some bandits. Maybe a scene where they're dining in the palace and knowing Aang’s a vegetarian he's offered some cabbage related dish, which he reveals its his least favorite vegetable. Hint hint.

6 - Yang Chen Festival. Where we are exposed to one of the Air Nomad pilgrimages to a statue in honor of Yang Chen’s feats. Aang sensing some close connection to her beyond just being a nomad but brushes it off. Just a wholesome episode, with a minor reveal of Fire Nation soldiers scoping the area out by Fire Lord Sozin’s Orders. In which the Nomads invite them to dine with them, which is accepted. To Aang, this is something he's happy to see and something the soldiers are all to happy to party with nomads, though the audience knows this is likely the Fire Nation order to locate all Sacred Air Nomad Locations.

7 - Forgiveness. Episode where the importance of one of the most difficult aspects of his culture. The ability to forgive. Perhaps Aang is put in a situation w/out Appa and his stuff gets stolen. Leaving him stranded but also allow us to see him deal with nature. With even a scene where he contemplates eating meat since there's no vegetation to eat. Let's say his saving grace comes in the form of some travelers who offer him meat but he can't take it, but they save his life, only to find out that their relative stole his food and he's facing them soon enough. Aang gets angry for a bit, the other apologizes but Aang understands and forgives them before heading back home.

8 - Breathe. An extended version of Aang's Flashbacks from The Storm. He realizes he's the Avatar and tries to come to terms with it. But can't and as shown before. He escapes in the first half of the episode and the last half is the Nomads and Gyatso arguing over having driven him away. Which is soon interrupted as Sozins commit appears overhead. The rest of the episode is the monks futilely defending the temple with Gyatso protecting as many as he can. The ending is a glimpse of the genocide, before Gyatso leads some firebenders in a building and shows him airbending the air out of their bodies in an attempt to take as many down as he can.

This is how I envision Book 4 would be. To me it would make sense to make it a prequel of the series before the Great War started and possibly show how most nations got along with one another but maintained separation. The reason I excluded the Water Tribes from this, is because I feel like it would be perfect to circle back to Book 1 considering its where the series started, plus a minor headcanon of mine is that Aang wanted to go penguin sledding to feel better after running away.

#atla #atlab #the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #aang #avatar headcanons #monk gyatso #kuzon #king bumi #appa #sky bison #air nomads #air nation #avatar roku #avatar kyoshi #avatar korra #avatar

[ginazmemeoir]

Women in the Indian Epics

This post is in response to @hindumythologyevent (i won’t be able to write tomorrow)

Ramayana and Mahabharata, while being epics centred around Hinduism, are actually integral parts of Indian culture as a whole. Everyone in India has grown up knowing about these epics, but never about the women. I would like to take this moment to make people realize THESE. EPICS. WOULD. BE . NON. EXISTANT. WITHOUT WOMEN. HECK ALL OF US WOULD BE.

1. RAMAYANA: While there’ s no shift in the status of women chronologically, there definitely is a marked changed in the social status of women in the epic geographically.

  North - 

Kaushalya : Princess of Southern Kosala (modern day Bundelkhand in India), she had proposed her marriage to Dasharath, Ram’s father, to stop the war between their kingdoms. In the epics, she is shown as “virtuous” and “sacrificing”, and is Ram’s birth mother.

Kaikeyi : Princess of Kekaya (modern day Pakistan-Afghanistan border region), she had married Dasharatha of her own accord, on her own terms. She was a powerful woman, and a powerful warrior - she had saved Dasharath’s life in a war, and consequently Dasharatha had granted her two boons. She used these boons later to banish Ram to the forest for 14 years and make her son Bharata the heir. A figure of scorn in the epic, Kaikeyi was actually an independent woman, who knew her cards.

Sumitra : She just kind of exists we don’t know much about her, except that she’s the mother of the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

Sunaina : Queen of Videha (modern day Nepal), she was actually the one who ran the kingdom while her husband, Janak, looked after the “spiritual” nd “philosophical” aspects. Most people don’t even know about her.

Sita : The female protagonist, she is the Princess of Videha, and thus also called Vaidehi. In fact, there is a language in her honour called Maithili after her. She is actually quite passive in the epics, shown as yet again “virtuous” and blah blah blah. A few versions also say that she was actually Ravan’s daughter, or the reincarnation of a woman who Ravan had molested and so the woman vowed that she would be the cause of his death (mmm not so much I mean the dude was asking for it). FINALLY she does something after Ram banishes her cause people accuse her of Stockholm Syndrome WHILE SHE’S PREGNANT, and then tries to take her back once he gets to know that he’s a dad - twist, Sita has to prove she’s innocent by WALKING THROUGH FIRE AGAIN (she did it once after she escaped). So instead of doing this shitty thing again, she invoked the Earth Goddess (another legend says Sita is her daughter) and went away with her.

Manthara : Kaikeyi’s nanny, she came along with her after she married Dasharatha to take care of her children. Shown as a disfigured old hunchback, she is the one who had “instigated” Kaikeyi to banish Ram and make Bharata emperor. She’s one of the most hated characters in the Ramayana.

South - (FINALLY women don’t call their husbands ‘lord’ or ‘my king’)

Tara : The Monkey Empress, Tara was a powerful individual. After her husband Bali was killed by Rama, she ran the kingdom while her brother-in-law Sugreev whored away. Really wise, and commanded respect.

Mandodari : Daughter of the architect of Asuras Mayasur, Mandodari was another powerful woman. She was Ravan’s first wife, and is often seen speaking her opinions in the epics, reprimanding Ravan and genuinely being a boss-ass bitch, which as the epics state “was unusual”. Legend also states that Shiva had made her out of a frog (manduk in sanskrit), so that Ravan could stop pestering them.

Shurpanakha : Quite literally meaning “as sharp as nails), Shurpanakha was Ravan’s sister. Also known as Meenakshi, some hold her responsible for the annihilation of Ravan as her revenge for Ravan killing her husband. She had actually tried to seduce Ram and Lakshman while they were in the forest, but instead they pranked her, and not in the nice way (people, YOU DO NOT PRANK A DEMON PRINCESS). So when she saw Sita laughing, she thought it wa sher idea and attempted to kill her. Immediately, the “chivalrous” Lakshman ran to defend Sita and cut off “the evil temptress’” nose. So anywho Shurpanakha tells Ravan to avenge her, and later she goes to Ayodhya and spreads rumours about Sita’s affair with Ravan for revenge.

Kaikesi : Ravan’s mother, Kaikesi was the original heir to Lanka before it was given to Kuber, the dwarf lord of wealth. She later married the monk Vishravas, and had almighty children (some say this is the only reason she married him). She was the one who created Mega Ravan after the war to avenge herslef.

Sulochana : The Naga Princess, Sulochana was the daughter of the snake king Vasuki. Not much is known about her, except that she committed suicide after her husband Meghnad (Ravan’s son) was killed.

other characters : Trijata - she was Sita’s bodyguard in Lanka, and also Ravan’s  niece. She was the one who consoled Sita and protected her from the other demons.

Lankini : The guardian of Lanka, she had been defeated by Hanuman.

Urmila : Sita’s younger sister, who was married to Lakshman. Later, she fell into a coma for 14 years, till the time all three of our protagonists returned.

Surasa : The Sea Dragon, she tested Hanuman’s strength on his way to Lanka by attempting to eat him.

Simhika : The Shadow monster, who ate creatures by grabbing their shadows. She was killed by Hanuman.

2. MAHABHARATA : Ok this epic is more recognized, and also the women here are SO much more badass. The Mahabharata represents a chronological change in women’s status in Indian society.

Urvashi : Queen of the nymphs (apsaras), Urvashi had married the mortal king Pururavas on the condition that nobody will hurt her pet lamb, and that nobody except Pururavas will see her naked. So the gods killed her lamb and “opened the doors with mighty winds” and “lit the skies with lightning” when Pururavas and Urvashi were having sex, so everyone could see Urvashi naked. She then left Pururavas, who grew mad. Later, she tried to seduce Arjun (Pururavas’ descendant) and when he refused, she cursed him to become a eunuch.

Ganga : The River Goddess, she married Shantanu only on the condition that he would never question her or her actions. Then, Ganga proceeded to drown all of her and Shantanu’s children. When Shantanu finally stopped her from drowning the eighth one, it was revealed that they were actually gods cursed as humans and Ganga was only doing this so that they could go back to being gods again. Anywho, since Shantanu had technically questioned her actions, she left him and took the child. This child was Bhishma.

Satyavati : She was born when a fish ingested a king’s sperm (LONG story), and the fish gave birth to her. She was known for her beauty that rivalled the gods, and also her fish stank. she had sex with the sage Parashara and gave birth on an island to Vyasa (the Mahabharata’s author). In return, Parashara granted her the boon of irresistible scent. Later, she married Shantanu on one condition - that only her lineage would rule the throne, which forced Bhishma to take his vow of celibacy. A woman of naked ambition, she made sure that it was her blood only that ruled the throne of Hastinapur.

Amba : The princess of Kashi (modern day Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh), she and her two sisters were abducted from their marriage by Bhishma on Satyavati’s order to be married to her son Vichitravirya. Amba escaped Bhishma, but her husband refused to accept as she “was now another man’s property” (BITCH). When she asked Bhishma to marry her, he refused because of his stupid vow. So she sought revenge on him and went to the warrior sage Parashuram. Parashuram was enraged at Amba’s condition, and invited Bhishma to a duel till death. However, he realized that their duel could actually end the world and stopped it. Angry, Amba burnt herself alive and promised to be reborn as Bhishma’s death. She was reborn as the transwoman Shikhandi, Draupadi’s sibling, and ultimately killed Bhishma. (more popular versions state that she actually stood in front of Arjuna, and since Bhishma couldn’t “raise a hand on a transwoman”, Arjuna could safely kill Bhishma from behind her.

Gandhari : Princess of Gandhara (modern day Afghanistan), Gandhari’s kingdom was destroyed by Bhishma and she was married to Dhritarashtra, the blind prince. To aid her husband, she also blinded herself for life by wearing a blindfold at all times. Mother of the hundred Kauravas, she had uttered that fateful curse which caused the destruction of Krishna and his empire.

Kunti : Princess of Mathura, she was adopted by king Kuntihoja. A resourceful and sharp woman, she had received a boon to have kids by any god she wanted. Out of curiosity, she tested the boon and got the son of the Sun god, Karna. Not ready to be a teen mom, she threw the baby in a river (the baby lived). Later she married Pandu, Dhritarashtra’s younger brother, and gave birth to Yudhishthir, Bhima and Arjuna from Yama (god of death and law), Vayu (god of wind) and Indra (indian zeus) respectively. She spent her entire life protecting Pandu’s five children after his death, even burning six people alive during the Varnavat incident.

Madri : Princess of Madradesh (present day Tamil Nadu, India), she was Pandu’s second wife and gave birth to the twins Nakul and Sahadeva from the Ashvini Twins (gods of healing and knowledge, she had used Kunti’s boon). She committed suicide after Pandu’s death.

Draupadi : Princess of Panchal (modern day Uttar Pradesh, India although some people say it could also be Punjab), she was born from fire. She and her brother were created to avenge their foster father Drupad. Married to all five Pandavas, she later became Empress of Indraprastha, and encouraged her husbands to fight for their rights. Molested and disrobed after the Gambling Hall incident, she vowed to destroy the Kuru dynasty - and that she would not wash her hair until they were washed with Dushasana’s blood, the man who had disrobed her. Krishna treated her like his own sister, and today she serves as an inspiration to all women.

There are a LOT more women in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, but i would have to write another separate 500 pager for that, and honestly i have run out of brain juice right now. so i leave you with this - STAY BADASS LADIES.

#india #hinduism #hindu #hindu mythology #hindu mythology event 2020 #hindu mythology event #feminism #women #badass women #mythology #world mythology #ramayana #mahabharata #ramayan #mahabharat

[alyrae13]

Alright, time to explain my weeb ass! As promised, I’m gonna tell the reasons why I like each Gold Saint and why I see them as the way I do. Keep in mind, I’ll also may have to make this into two parts because of how long this would be in one single post, so please bare with me! Anyway, onward ho!!!

Libra Dohko

Starting off simple! Being a Libra myself, it’s easy to see that I would like this cool madafaka; He’s basically a better, more sensible version of Yoda. The reason I don’t feel very attracted to him is because I see him as the badass grandfather type, like the cool Chinese grandfather that could teach you how to kick ass while also being chill enough to unwind during tea time. 100% Dope Grandpa through and through.

Taurus Aldebaran

Now for the other one! Alde is a man who’s sweet as sugar cane yet as powerful as a raging bull. Despite his height, he’s a kind man when off the battle field and ready to fight for Athena when on said battle field. He’s not a character I’m attracted to because I see him as a strong yet sweet uncle figure who’s ready to stand alongside ya in both normal life and when fighting. He’s a tender giant of a man who supports those around him. Gentle Giant Uncle 100%.

Capricorn Shura

Now we go on to the tricky stuff. Shura, dear god do I love him. His character ideology is just so interesting due to the differences between the manga and anime. Wielder of the holy sword Excalibur, he could cut you to bits and think nothing of it. There’s also a possible angst hanging over him; He was the one sent to kill off Aiolos, knowing well how it would have affected little Aiolia. Imagine the amount of guilt he had for killing someone’s only family member? Even worse when you take the consideration of him realizing that he was willing to kill an innocent man without knowing about it, meaning he now knows he just tore a family apart and cause so much pain in vain. And please don’t get me even started on the Hades Saga and Soul of Gold. His character is just so great to me and I’m glad he was able to get on good terms with Aiolia in Soul of Gold. Plus, he’s a sexy Spanish man who’s super loyal, so why wouldn’t I love him?

Aquarius Camus

Camus, oh boy... Camus is someone who just gives me a whole array of emotions despite him not openly expressing them himself. On the surface, he is rather cold and distant due to not wanting to draw people into despair by showing exasperation, yet he’s still in control of his emotions rather than just suppressing them. His willing to fight for his ideals and for what he believes as correct (Soul of Gold anybody?), and although his way of teaching Hyoga is questionable at best, his only doing what he thinks will make Hyoga stronger as a saint. Despite being a man who appears uncaring and emotionless, he really isn’t. After all, we’re taking about the same man who one stated about hating people who mourn over the past yet also deeply cares for his pupil and about being true to his word to an old friend. Camus is a man who truly cares for those around him despite him appearing otherwise. He’s also a Frenchman, and who doesn’t love a beautiful French?

Gemini Saga and Kanon

Oh good grief this will be a long explanation. For the sake of respect and love for these two, I’ll be going over them individually because why not make this post into a full on essay?

Frist of all, Saga, poor Saga. Dear lord the amount of trauma this man had to go through is just heartbreaking. A man with an undying loyalty to Athena with an evil split personality... A more tragic version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Not only was he forced to see his evil side kill Pope Shion and take over his identity, he had to see him try to kill baby Athena and send another saint to kill Aiolos; And he had to endure that fact for thirteen years. By the time he was finally free of his evil half, he was practically begging his beloved goddess to forgive him for all the hurt he caused. A powerful yet tragic man indeed. Then there is his relationship with Kanon (of who we’ll talk about in a moment), because it’s also a little sad. Kanon was definitely, a bit of a traitorous prick in the beginning and it was his imprisonment that led to Saga’s split personality in the first place. Yet you could still say that they at least cared for each other despite all the bullshit they must’ve gone through whilst growing up, because Saga was definitely happy in the Hades arc when he found his brother fighting for Athena.

Now for Kanon, fucking Kanon who despite starting out as an infidel of a man, then became a great character in the same vain as his brother Saga. Dude wanted to overthrow the Pope and kill baby Athena but ended up getting his butt locked in Cape Sounion. Now we know what happens there; Finds trident, get’s Poseidon half awakened, poses as the Sea Dragon and yada yada. It’s only when fighting Ikki does he end up changing because it’s then when Ikki told him the only reason he’s even alive is because of Athena’s Cosmo. So, plans in scrambles and now possibly gripped with an overwhelming sense of guilt, he goes over to Athena and without skipping a beat, becomes a shield against Poseidon‘s trident and begs Athena to forgive him before falling unconscious. And of course, we know about everything in Hades arc.

In the end, both men are equally cherished characters of mine and I won’t have it any other way. Also their handsome Greek men who need hugs and kisses and need to be told that they are loved and appreciated, so...

Cancer Deathmask

Oh Deathmask, you beautiful bastard you... Now Deathmask is more of an asshole than Kanon for reasons we all know at this point but I’m guessing his behavior could be explain simply due to the fact he is literally surrounded by death everyday. Like seriously, is it really a surprise that he’s like this when he’s constantly exposed to seeing the souls of the living fall right into practically hell? Nobody would be the same if they had to endure that, especially since most likely he started training to become a saint at a very early age. Now, this is when Soul of Gold comes into play, because god damn it how they wrote his character is just something. Firstly, he’s shown to be an gambling addict and an alcoholic, clearly unhealthy coping mechanisms for not being able to use his cloth and you know, being exposed to death at an early age and onwards for most of his life. Then we have Helena; Now, I’m not gonna lie, the whole ‘Changed better because of love’ trope is very much old at this point but it’s kinda ok because it shows us ‘Hey, even he has the opportunity to change and become a good man’. Deathmask, despite all the things he’s done against mankind, still has the potential to become an honorable Gold Saint and a decent human being; Plus his a sexy Italian who can rock the goatee look, so yay for the crab.

Pisces Aphrodite

Ah yes, the beloved fish boi. Honestly, I love his character simply because he breaks so many boundaries that it would be hard for me not to like him. He plays into the whole ‘appearances can be deceiving’ stick so well; He looks feminine yet his personally is quite the opposite (to some extent). His personality is something that’s interesting to me as well; Despite being so god damn beautiful, he doesn’t act narcissistic at all and doesn’t even care about having his appearance messed up in battle. HIs belief that power and strength are the most beautiful things in the world speaks fucking volumes to me and explains why he was willing to follow the False Pope’s orders. His character in Soul of Gold was just great as well! Like, to see his abilities and power being fully used to it’s full potential was simply badass and I doubt others won’t disagree with me on that one; He was definitely key in the story despite showing little of him. That’s way I love him so much; He’s a gorgeous Swede who can kick your ass and think little of it. He’s the type of man who will look damn good beating you up while shrugging off any damage to his figure like a frickin’ boss... He’s just that dope.

OK, that’s the first part of this really long post; Honestly this took me nearly an entire day to write, like, really. I had to take a break and ended up taking a nap before finishing this, it was that long. Hope many of you agree with my reasons for loving these characters so far and if not, that’s ok! Opinions are fine as long as no one gets hurt, so it’s fine if you don’t like them like I do! Anyway, I’m just gonna rest now because my fingers are killing me. Have a great day guys!

#saint seiya #gold saint #soul of gold #capricorn shura #aquarius camus #gemini saga #sea dragon kanon #cancer deathmask #pisces aphrodite #libra dohko #taurus aldebaran #anime #favourites #knights of the zodiac

[dragonherder2030]

So I watched Raya and the Last Dragon-

I honestly was very disappointed with the movie as a whole. I LOVE dragons and main movies and media just doesn’t have much of them that I have seen. So when I saw that Disney was making a movie about and staring a dragon character, I got very excited. I had loved the design for Sisu when she was just a concept art

She was much more colorful and had a very different face, a more regional face. She is definitely more water dragony compared to the actual final draft design. And she is just overall prettier in my opinion.

Spoilers under this point

Another thing is the continuity and main logic of the movie. In the beginning of the movie it is practically about 15 minutes of exposition. It tells that apparently all the dragons are water dragons, every single one since they all look the same, but that there were multiple dragons in the past. These evil creatures made of human greed or whatever started attacking humans, and well I guess other things but the humans primarily. When attacked, they pass through the human and either take or freeze their spirit or something I don’t remember exactly, but the person becomes stone. So the dragons being the most powerful creatures in the world, they tried to fight the things. The dragons were also turned to stone, all but one, The Mighty Sisu. In the exposition it says that she compiled all her magic into the orb, and used it to destroy the things and turn everyone back from stone. Except the dragons. Do they ever explain why it didn’t turn the dragons back to alive? No it does not, it absolutely does not, but ho boy there is SO much more. Later in the exposition, the dragon gem gets broken into 5 pieces, one for each of the tribes. And they each possess a piece of the gem now. So, when the gem gets broken, all the evil creatures from the very beginning just, come back! This is never explained- nothing is ever explained in this movie it was just made for the funnies I GUESS. This movie feels like a really bad book adaption HONESTLY. And at the end of the movie when everyone comes back because it’s a kids movie, it’s just AHHGH everyone is happy now all the dragons come back and everything is dandy. But why didn’t the dragons come back in the beginning? The whole moral of the movie is “Trust good”. Seriously that’s it. And when they put the dragon gem back together at the end everyone is like “oh wow we need to trust each other and that’s how the magic will WoRk”. But explained earlier when we hear Sisu’s whole backstory is that when SHE did the magic fix she trusted her siblings the most that she had in that moment, SO TELL ME WHY DIDN’T IT WORK!!?? It makes no sense to me at least maybe I’m just missing something. But it annoys me so much, nothing makes sense in this movie. Another theory I have is that there were 3 writers. Each assigned to a seperate story arc, one to the beginning exposition thing, one to the middle main part, and one to the climax and final bits of the movie. The thing is, the writers only vaguely know what the past ones did XD.

The next problem I have is with the actual magic and formulation of dragons, as well as what the heck is up with the dragon gem. But don’t worry, I have at least 2 more problems with this movie. So as Sisu gets more and more of the dragon gem shards, she gains new powers. But do you know why? Because APPARENTLY when the gem broke into the 5 pieces, the magic of her individual siblings who gave their magic to the gem was separated perfectly. Ok that may not make much sense. But when we see Sisu’s backstory it shows that her oldest brother made the gem, then each sibling except Sisu put their special magic into the gem. So then, when it broke, the individual gem pieces only had the 1 type of magic in them? Excuse me what? That doesn’t make sense, if I make a cake, then I won’t cut it up and get only egg from one slice, then a bunch of sugar from another slice. It’s just- really bad and they could have fixed it by just- not having the siblings at all. They so easily could have been written out of the story, instead Sisu could have no magic when she is brought back, which she practically has none, her “magic” is that she is a strong swimmer. But then as she gets the pieces she gains back parts of her original magic, that would have been more indering then the siblings. Now the second part of this is the actual powers. Ok, which sounds like more of a power, being able to glow, or being able to fly around by walking on raindrops. The second one right? Well, ThEY aRe BoTh COsIdeReD MaGIc iN tHiS UniVErSe. All the powers that Raya aquires from the dragon gem pieces is being able to do the glow, being able to shape shift into a human, and being able to walk on the rain. Now, that isn’t even the part I’m the most mad about. At the end of the movie when all the dragons come back, THEY ALL CAN WALK ON THE RAIN. LIKE WHAT!? I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE OLDER BROTHER’S MAGIC TYPE! Do you get what I mean by this movie having no continuity? At the end of the movie, Sisu was killed by evil cat lady, and all the dragons come back walking on the rain and just- resurrect her. Ok, I guess that could be explained away as all the magic beings being magical, but I still don’t like how easily they did it. Yet another thing is that Sisu can make a bunch of magical smoke, well not magical but it’s really shimmery and thick, that’s not explained, she just can do it.

Let’s talk about the relationships in this movie. I hate them. No ones characters are developed on or improved except for maybe cat lady- I need to find her name somewhere, but except for Namarii is her name, her and Raya. Namarii’s big stitch is, I don’t even know just not being the most evil person? Either that or the same trust thing, which would mean that her and Raya have the same character arc. Raya in the beginning of the movie is explained to be the daughter of the chef of clan Heart, one of the most prosperous out of the 5 clans. They at the start of the movie had the dragon gem, and the father guy, he invited every other clan over to have a big feast or whatever. So when they get there, young Namarii, all this is happening when Raya is like, 9 I think, but Namarii and Raya become friends over fangirling for Sisu. Namarii has a necklace of Sisu that she gives to Raya. And side note, they act as though Sisu isn’t the SAVIOR OF THIER LANDS, but she’s some really good singer. Well I guess they have to connect to all those youngsters out there with an obsession and that rElATaBlE moment when you fInD AnOTheR oF tHiEr kInD. That just triggered me. But since Namarii is such a big fan of Sisu, Raya, after being shown to be VERY offensive about the idea of the other tribes coming, just decides to show Namarii the dragon gem! But uh oh, twist, Namarii is actually bad oh noooo and everyone comes up and starts to fight over the dragon gem. Then it shatters and the evil things come back. So Raya and her dad are trying to escape, her dad had been injured from fighting an arrow to the leg, but the things are repelled by water. So what does the dad do? He yeets the child into a river(they are on a bridge at this point) after having a minute long conversation with her. Like, could he not just tip himself off to? But hey we have to give them characters angsty backstorys amiright? It’s just so stupid the character motives. So like, Idk 12 years pass by or something since Raya is an adult now. She actually has a pretty emotional prayer type thing to Sisu when she is trying to resurrect her to save the world. This movie has a few ups that I will put at the end. So let’s talk about Sisu now, ho boy, she is the “oh everything will be fixed with hugs and kisses”. You know what this is, this is the same exact dynamic that Poppy and Branch went through during Trolls movie! The exact same dynamic! HECK Disney couldn’t even get original personalities. Sisu blindly trusting everything gets them into wacky situations and causes some conflict between Raya and Sisu but BARELY ANY. And Sisu just seems like- really innocent, she’s oblivious all the time. She’s this ancient beast and she just has the most generic personality and I loath it. Namanii is actually someone I liked. She seemed like the most real character until the very end, just, the blindly “oh everything is alright now and I’m fine with everyone now trauma doesn’t exist”. Also on that point, apparently trauma doesn’t exist in this world, because Sisu lost every single one of her siblings, and just, doesn’t show any sign of grieving or remorse she just doesn’t give a thought to them. Except for the backstory bit but she just doesn’t seem to care. Also just a side note, none of those side characters are developed at all and just there for practically comic relief. The whole resolution of the movie is them putting the gem together and then all “hugging” each other and wow look at that it worked. *inhales* and then when Sisu comes back, she has the most emotionally dead response to Raya, none of the character reuniting is good. You know, if you have seen storks, that near end montage where all the babies are brought to the people? Yeah, that was 100% better then the resolutions of Raya and the Last Dragon. One scene that ticked me off so much was when that ninja baby was reunited with her parents, the mom, oh my gosh, she looked as if she had just found an old purse she misplaced. She did not look- ah I can’t even put it into words just look up the clip to get it.

That’s all that I have to say about the movie, I probably have more somewhere but honestly I couldn’t put it into words. Now, you know, I have to give this movie a few good opinions. The movie looked amazing, great character design(except for the dragons I dispose them) and everything looks gorgeous. As well as the animal design, I wish I could have seen more animals honestly they all looked really interesting and unique.

Sorry this post was so long I just wanted to put my opinions out there.

#my opinion #Raya and the Last dragon #Raya and the Last Dragon spoilers #spoilers #critics